GAME REPORT

Elba Timisoara shrugged off a slow start in the Romanian league to clinch a 74-64 victory on the road over BC Dnipro in the first leg of the FIBA EuroCup Elimination Round One.

Timisoara, who are 2-3 in the domestic Division A, used a 15-0 run over six minutes in the fourth quarter to turn a 58-55 deficit into a 70-58 lead late in the game.

Viktor Kobzystyy had 13 points for BC Dinipro but it was not enough.

Milos Nisavic led the way for Timisoara with 17 points while Brice Kabengele Kalala added 16 and Nenad Markovic and Dan Paltinisanu each scored 14 points for Dragan Petricevic's side.

The 2007 Romanian Cup finalists are returning to European play for the first time since playing in the 1994-95 Korac Cup.

The 2007 EuroCup Challenge semi-finalists Dnipro, who also played in the 2005 EuroCup Challenge, won their first three games in the Ukrainian Superleague. But Igor Chigrinov's team couldn't take advantage of the home court.

Oleksandr Panchenko scored 15 points and Viktor Kobzystyy added 13 points in a losing effort for Dnipro, who will travel to Romania for the return leg on November 6.

The Ukrainians opened the game on a 13-2 run with the home crowd support. But Kabengele drained two three-pointers on a 9-0 run for Timisoara, who trailed 20-17 after one period.

Danylo Kozlov scored five points in an 8-0 run for Dnipro, who pulled ahead 35-25 midway through the second. But the guests fought back to within 37-34 at the break.

Dnipro hit the first eight points of the second half to open a 45-34 advantage. Timisoara yet again came back with a 17-4 spurt to go ahead 51-49 only to see Dnipro lead 54-53 after three periods.

The Ukrainians led 58-55 but missed their next eight shots and two free throws while turning the ball over three times in the next six minutes. And Paltinisanu scored six points in the decisive 15-0 run.